Benjamin Franklin Statue

On the Freedom Trail lies the bronze Benjamin Franklin statue on land that was previously occupied by the Boston Latin School, an institute that provided education to boys. While the school was the oldest public school in the country, the statue was erected in order to pay tribute to one of America’s Founding Fathers and inventors.

The oldest public school in America, Boston Latin School was built in 1635 and was meant for boys only, with girls attending private schools at home. It was in 1745 that the wooden structure was demolished and moved to the city’s Fenway area, while the Benjamin Franklin statue was erected in its place in 1856. The bronze figure is about 8 feet tall and pays tribute to one of the five men who signed the Declaration of Independence; there are 4 bronze pillars around the structure that commemorate Franklin’s life as a painter, scientist and the signee of the Declaration and the Treaty of Paris.